Kagome's Sojourn
by foxelemental
Summary: This is a forgotten realms/inuyasha cross. I will be fallowing the book Sojourn quite closely. So you don't have to have read the book but it would help that being said enjoy the story on a side note I am bad at summaries sorry
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Kagome sighed as she looked into the well a hand at her throat fingering the jewel that lay there. It was nothing more than a useless bauble now, the power in it having long since left, she only kept it now as a reminder of all those she loved here in this era. She smiled sadly as she thought about all the friends she made. They were more like family to her now and she didn't want to go but she knew she couldn't stay. She could feel the well tugging at her more fiercely by the minute. She had only been allowed to stay this long so she could learn to control the new powers the jewel had given her.

She gave a small ironic laugh as she thought back to the day she had wished on the jewel. She had made the only wish she thought might work. She wished for the souls to be released from the jewel. It had worked after a fashion the _jewel_ was powerless now. She hadn't known that power like that wouldn't just disappear with its containers destruction. It would find a new home, and since she was the most familiar to it the power made its new home in her. So here she was more or less human if immortal with the powers of a demon and a priestess.

She learned very quickly that she would need help controlling the demon part of her and so she sought out the strongest demon she knew and begged him to train her. It had taken a lot of begging but finally he agreed and set the price of his training to be one year serving under him as his retainer. She agreed and said goodbye to her friends agreeing to meet at the well for one last goodbye after her training was over, all of them knew the well would not allow her to stay after her year of service was done.

The training was tough she learned that the demonic part of the jewel gave her several abilities like being able to form a whip much like Sesshoumaru's only made of a blue fire instead of poison, and she could grow plants using her energy. It also augmented her own natural ability to heal she could now heal almost as fast as any demon she had met. Then there was the heightened sense of hearing and smell which training with Sesshoumaru only managed to heighten more it also strengthened her sight and made her eyes glow an eerie electric blue the glow was especially visible at night and gave her excellent night vision. After she learned to control the demon part of her she needed to learn how to get her powers to work together instead of working to destroy each other so all in all the training itself took almost two years.

After her training was over she went to the well where her friends were waiting and each of them seemed to have a gift for her. From Shippou she got a beautiful picture book detailing their journey together. Sango gave her an outfit much like her own only white were hers was black and red were Sango's was pink. Kikyou was next having grown close to her once she and Inuyasha made it known the saw each other as siblings not lovers, from her Kagome got a blue ribbon woven with a protective spell it would let her know when danger approached by glowing the same blue as her eyes.

Kirara stepped forward next and with her was a small black kitten, her eldest from her first litter that everyone had named Kuro. She nudged him a little with her paw and he jumped up onto Kagome's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. Kirara nodded and stepped back to allow Keade to give her gift. Keade gifted her with several small bags inside a slightly larger bag each little bag filled with the seeds of medicinal herbs she felt Kagome would need. Inuyasha and Miroku stepped forward together each holding their part of the shared gift.

In Miroku's hands was a beautiful red quiver designed to be attached to her hip rather than her back. He had woven a scene depicting her shooting the arrow that finally killed Naraku into it. She could also feel the magic he had woven into it and she smiled when he explained that any arrow she placed in the quiver would always return to it after it had hit its mark. Inuyasha held ten beautiful ivory arrows each one made from one of his fangs and a strand of her hair. The feathers used to fletch the arrows came from a golden phoenix they had helped during their travels. They would never brake and she would never lose them once she put them in her new quiver. She hugged them all and they spent the rest of that night camped out by the well trading stories of what had happened in their lives since they had last seen each other.

Sesshoumaru came to get her that morning to start her year of service. During her training Sesshoumaru grew to respect her as a warrior but he had never spent time with her outside of the dojo where he taught her but now he spent almost every day with her as the patrolled his lands and battled those who harmed his subjects. During that time his respect for her steadily grew until he stopped thinking of her as a retainer and started calling her a comrade from there it grew into friendship. It was then he had totosai craft a bow for her using his fang. The bow was ivory white with a dragon carved into it. Three strands of Sesshoumaru's hair braided together formed the bow string, it like Inuyasha's arrows would never break. Some of her blood had also gone into the making of the bow so that it could channel her priestess powers, and so no one but her may use it.

So here she was back at the well to say goodbye to another friend. She turned to him now with a sad smile Kuro held securely in her arms "I'll miss you, you know?" He didn't say anything just nodded and she smiled again happier this time. She knew he would miss her as well. After all he had given her something of himself to protect her. She touched the bow at her side lightly. "Well this is it I suppose look me up in about five hundred years okay?" He put his hand on her head his version of a hug and smiled. She beamed up at him and let herself fall backwards through the well.

The first thing she noticed as she fell was the color surrounding her had changed. Instead of its normal blue color it was a warm violet. The second thing she noticed was the extra time it was taking to get home.

When she finally landed the first thing she saw was a man and a panther fighting against two large oni. Before her training with Sesshoumaru she would have jumped right in without a thought whether or not they needed the help. It wasn't until the purple skinned oni started to change his form that she decided to jump in. She quickly threw Kuro into the air sending him to the ceiling of the cave to wait until she might need him. She was just about to shoot the largest purple skinned oni when the scarlet one disappeared and knocked the man into a wall. She quickly shot a glowing arrow between the two combatants stopping the oni in his tracks and brining everyone's attention to her.

The large wolf like creature the oni had turned into paused mid-bite to look her way in surprise giving the panther the edge it needed to get out from under it. When free the panther shot off toward the curtain the wolf thing followed and tore down the curtain in an effort to get to it. Kagome turned from them knowing that Kuro would help the panther if it needed him to and looked warily at the scarlet oni wondering if he too could change his form. The man and oni were talking together in a language she could not understand but she didn't need to understand the words to know that the oni had made the man mad for his head snapped up a determined glare on his face.

The man ran at the monster and used his body as a weapon slamming into the things knees and knocking it off balance then ran for the weapon he had dropped earlier. Just as he reached it the scarlet skinned monster picked him up into a bone crushing hug spouting off some unpleasant words. Kagome quickly strung another arrow and launched it at the thing striking its eye and turning half his face into dust killing him instantly.

Kagome blinked in surprise the power in that arrow should have been enough to dust his whole body not just half his face. She wondered if that meant her powers were weaker here or that the demons were stronger. She didn't have long to ponder on this as the other one having seen the flash of light her powers created came barreling in its hate filled eyes locked on her form. It came in too fast for her to pull another arrow so she thrust her bow aside and formed her whip lashing it around the wolf's snout and pulling up with all her might. Its head twisted to a sickening angle but didn't break as she had been hoping it would and the wolf kept coming. She quickly released him and jumped to the side narrowly avoiding the teeth wanting to tear out her throat.

They started circling each other Kagome making sure to keep herself between the giant wolf and injured man. Finally after what felt like hours but what was in reality only a few minutes the beast lunged for her. She smirked dropped to her knees and thrust out her palm her power shooting out in a laser like thrust of blue light striking the wolf in the chest burrowing a hole into its body and incinerating its heart. The giant thing dropped to the ground not two inches from Kagomes face. She breathed a sigh of relief and once again sent a silent thanks to Sesshoumaru for his brutal training.

Drizzt looked at the woman who had most likely saved his life and wondered where she had come from and if she would kill him next. He half expected her too and he knew he couldn't fight back in the condition he was in. She approached him and he tensed waiting for the death blow but all she offered him was a kind smile and a hand up. He hesitated for a moment then took her hand and offered his own tentative smile back. She beamed at him then placed her hand on her chest and slowly said her name. It felt strange on his tongue and he wasn't quite sure he had gotten it right but she nodded and asked for his name so he told her. She crinkled her nose as she tried to repeat it. She laughed and clapped when she had gotten it right and he felt a warmth blossom in his chest at the sound. It was then that Guenhwyvar decided to make her presence known. She sat next to him and eyed Kagome as both she and Drizzt waited to see the girl's reaction to the magical cat.

Kagome smiled and gave a sharp whistle calling Kuro from his hiding place. He flew down and landed next to her in front of Guenhwyvar. Kagome put her hand on his head and introduced him to Drizzt and the panther then waited to hear the great cat's name. She butchered it several times before finally getting it right and she smiled feeling proud of herself. The smile quickly turned into a frown however when she noticed Drizzt swaying on his feet and that the hand he had placed on Guenhwyvar's head was more to keep him standing than to pet her as she had first thought. She looked around the large room and spotting the large chair gently pushed Drizzt toward it gesturing for him to sit down so she could heal him.

Drizzt didn't know what Kagome thought she could do for him but he was so tired he sat down without much of an argument. Kagome knelt next to him and held up a hand that was glowing a soft pink. He almost pulled away from her, he had seen what that power could do to a being after all, but then he noticed that she wasn't making any move to touch him with it she just held it up waiting. After a minute with neither of them moving he relaxed and nodded she smiled and started running her glowing hand along his injuries. When she was done he found that he no longer hurt but he was still exhausted. Kagome smiled at him and using a lot of gesturing somehow conveyed that while he slept she, Kuro, and Guenhwyvar would keep watch. He nodded gratefully and laid down his head pillowed by Kuro the large cat's two tails covering him for warmth.

It was only a few hours later when Kagome woke Drizzt, she had been feeling the floor vibrate for awhile now and though she didn't know what it was she knew she didn't want to meet with it while Drizzt and Guenhwyvar were so exhausted. Drizzt was slow to wake but when he did the first thing he did was dismiss Guenhwyvar back to the astral plain. Kagome didn't look all that startled by the panther's disappearance but Drizzt was visibly startled when in a flash of black fire the large sager tooth Kuro turned into a small two tailed kitten. Kagome laughed and gestured for him to take the lead. He smiled back at her and silently wished he could talk to her and be understood. They had reached the spot Drizzt had used the Plowshare to defend himself against the sprite when they heard a roar behind them. Drizzt turned and saw a hill giant shaking his fist and making his way toward them. Kagome looked at Drizzt nodded at the giant and held up her bow he nodded and she strung an arrow loaded it with her power and shot it at the giant's throat. The giant clutched at his throat and coughed up dust. He stumbled a bit then pitched over the side of the mountain and Kagome and Drizzt continued down the path then turned moving further into the wild mountains. Drizzt trying to outrun the guilt he felt over the death of the farmers and Kagome not knowing where she was, was content to fallow the one friend she had made in this world.


	2. Chapter 2

I own neither the forgotten realms nor Inuyasha but a girl can dream right?

Chapter Two

"What could have done that to a giant?" a fastidious dwarf named Fret said as he watched the lady ranger Dove Falconhand poke the hole in the giant's throat with her sword. Dove and her band had been called to the town of Maldobar to deal with a drow threat only to find that they had arrived too late a family had already been killed by the dark elf. Though the rangers had their doubts that it was really the drow that had killed the family they agreed to track him. They even took on one of the townspeople a rather smelly man named Roddy McGristle.

"I don't know but whatever it was let's hope it's on our side." A whistle from above them and they looked up to see Kellindil the elven archer waving his arms around to get their attention

"More up here" he called "two goblins an uncommonly large wolf and a red skinned giant the likes of which I've never seen!" Dove nodded told Gabriel to stay there and headed up the path with Roddy and Fret. About half way up they came across the last man of their group Darda. He was short with the heavy muscles of a fighter. He was examining a bloodied plowshare propped against the mountainside.

"That's Thistledown's!" Roddy exclaimed "I seen it out back of his farm set for fixing!"

"But what is it doing here?" Dove murmured to herself trying to figure out the clues but they were too few so she threw her hands in the air and continued on. She entered the cave behind the elf Kellindil and upon viewing the carnage a few more things became clearer.

"Barghest Whelp!" Fret exclaimed when he saw the red skinned giant and the large wolf.

"Barghest?" Roddy asked also looking at the giant

"Of course" Fret nodded to himself "most likely the wolf as well that would explain its abnormal size" all but Roddy nodded at this all he could do was angrily repeat the word he hated being left out of a conversation he couldn't understand.

It was Fret who explained it for him "a creature from another plain of existence. Gehenna, I have heard. Barghest send their whelps to other plains to feed and grow" he paused here then said again "to feed" trying to lead the others down to the same conclusion he had reached.

"The half eaten woman at the barn." Dove said evenly all the others except Roddy had reached the same conclusion. Roddy however refused to believe that anyone but the Drow killed the family after all he had his revenge to see too. The others ignored him and continued to examine the whelp.

"The same thing that killed the giant killed the whelps as well but it was a blade that killed the two goblins at the entrance and that same blade caused some of the wounds on the Barghest wolf." They quickly gleaned all they could off of the bodies and it was decided that they should try to find some tracks in the ravine.

By the time the four had reached the bottom Gabriel had already found a trail. There were two sets of tracks one very petite most likely a female the other was the drow.

"Do you think it was the female that killed the three giants? Is she with the drow or tracking him the same as us?" Fret asked worriedly he really didn't like the idea of going up against something that can cause that kind of wound in a creature of that size. Dove just laughed ruefully and shook her head. Behind every answer seemed to be a thousand more questions.

Kagome and Drizzt ran through the night and by now Kagome had figured out that he was running from something but she couldn't ask him what it was and she hated not being able to help her friends. It was on the second night that she decided to do something about the communication problem so she sat him down and started pointing to things asking the names of them. It was in this way that they passed most of that night and when they woke up sometime in the late afternoon she insisted on learning more words. Drizzt enjoyed teaching her and was amazed at her memory once he told her the name for something she never forgot. It wouldn't be long before she could talk in full sentences. Already she could speak brokenly and he was enjoying having someone to talk to even if they couldn't always make themselves understood.

It was sometime in the middle of the third night that they saw the light of a campfire back the way they had come.

"They fallow?" Kagome spoke slowly and as precisely as her accent would allow. Drizzt nodded not taking his eyes from the firelight in the distance "You think they friends of Oni?" He looked down at her and shook his head

"It might be possible but I don't think so."

"Think they what you run from?" He swallowed thickly and nodded eyes downcast. Her continued good opinion of him mattered a great deal to him, and he was afraid that if she learned about the family and the part he played in their deaths she would be disgusted and leave him. She was the first person in the above world to make friends with him despite what he was.

"I am going to send Guenhwyvar to scout them out for us." She nodded as he took out the cat figurine and called the cat's name.

"Kuro too?" Drizzt smiled but shook his head.

"No let him sleep Guenhwyvar can handle it by herself." Kagome nodded Kuro was still a baby so he needed more sleep than Kirara had. He also couldn't carry people in his large form yet nor hold it for very long. But his larger size was impressive already he was larger than Kirara even though he still had some growing to do. So while Guenhwyvar ran toward the campfire Drizzt and Kagome sat down and continued her language lessons Kuro curled up in his mistresses lap purring contentedly as she ran her fingers through his fur.

Dove and Gabriel sat by their campfire trying to hold in their laughter as they listened to Fret bemoan the dirt on his clothes and vow that Dove would have to replace them. Roddy sat by himself across from them his back against a tree and his dog at his feet. He paid no mind to the others his mind occupied with paying the drow back for the loss of his other dog and ear.

"Drat and bebother!" Fret exclaimed as he threw the brush he had been using to clean his shirt to the ground.

"Shut yer mouth! Do ye mean to bring the drow upon us!" Roddy yelled stealing the group's mirth.

Gabriel glared at the mountain man but Dove realized that though it was rudely given advice it was sound. "Let us get some rest Gabriel before Kellindil and Darda come in and it is our turn for the watch. I expect tomorrow's road will be no less wearisome" She looked at Fret with a smile "and no less dirty than today's." Gabriel shrugged put his pipe in his mouth and his hands behind his back. This was the life he had chosen and he liked it for all that it could be rough.

Fret was far from comfortable with sleeping out of doors and he grumbled to himself as he searched for the least uncomfortable position he could find. Dove and Gabriel shared a small smile over Fret's grumbling while Roddy fumed about the unnecessary noise. Just as Fret was settling down a whistle sounded and Roddy's dog lifted his head the fur bristling and a growl sounding deep in his throat.

Dove, Gabriel, and Roddy were up and moving in a matter of seconds. Roddy pulling his dog with him out of the light and toward a boulder while the other two went in the direction the whistle had come from. They spoke briefly with him then split up to check the perimeter of the camp.

It was quickly discovered that the Drow's panther was sitting in the tree observing them. Roddy Dove and Gabriel waited patiently for Darda and Kellindil to circle around the cat so the trap could be sprung. It most likely would have worked to had Fret not chose that moment to come stumbling out of the campsite and into Roddy. As he fell he instinctively put his weaponless hand out to catch himself, and his dog taking it as a sign to attach jumped into action baying wildly as was a dogs want when it took to hunting.

Like a shot the panther was off running straight into the sight of the elf Kellindil who heard the chaos back the way Guenhwyvar had come and the shouts of Roddy to "kill the murderous thing" so came to the natural conclusion that either the cat or her companion had attached the camp. He let his arrow fly the enchanted thing burying itself within the cat as she rushed past. But then a moment later Doves voice rang above the melee behind him

"Do not! The cat has done nothing to earn our arrows!"

Kellindil rushed after the panther his heat sensitive vision picking up the trail of blood easily but he knew he couldn't catch up to the creature so turned his ire upon the one who misguided his shot.

"On your words I shot a animal undeserving of it. I will warn you once and only once! Never do so again!" Kellindil glared at the mountain man then stocked after the trail just because he couldn't catch her didn't mean he couldn't fallow her.

Roddy glowered angry with the elf for yelling at him that way but he knew he couldn't do much when all four of them would stand united against him so he turned toward the dwarf the one who had technically caused this with his inability to shut up.

"You'd best be learnin how to shut yer mouth when troubles near else you get us all killed!" With that he too stocked after the trail still angry but feeling a bit better for having yelled at the dwarf.

Guenhwyvar limped back to their camp just as the suns rays were touching the earth. Kagome gasped in shock at seeing the arrow sticking out of the poor cats flank. She immediately jumped up and rushed to her side examining the wound as she pulled out a small dagger to cut the bolt out with. As she swiftly dealt with the injury Drizzt looked on almost unsurprised buy the arrow. He should have known it would happen but he had been hoping that maybe he had been wrong and they weren't chasing him. A small flash of light brought him out of his musings Kagome had healed Guenhwyvar so he sent her back to her home on the astral plain.

"What now?"

"We keep going and hope to outrun them." Kagome sighed and put her hand on his shoulder giving it a little squeeze. She didn't know much of her new friend or the world he inhabited but she did know that her longed for a place to belong and it was something she could understand having felt such a longing herself when she was jumping between worlds but belonging to neither one fully. Perhaps she and Drizzt could find that place of belonging together that would be nice. Drizzt turned to her and she offered up a brilliant smile and he gave a small one back as a little of her cheerfulness seeped into him. Maybe it wasn't so bad at least he had a friend in the form of this strange human girl who wasn't afraid of him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I owned either Inuyasha or the Forgotten Realms you wouldn't be reading this on FANfiction now would you?

Chapter Three

Kagome stood at the lip of a ravine looking down sighed then looked at Drizzt. "We climb down there?"

"no not at all. We just want them to think we did. Can Kuro carry us?"

"No he too little is still a…" she trailed off and making a helpless noise in the back of her throat she rocked her arms as if she held a baby she hated not knowing all the words it made her feel stupid.

"He's still a baby? I can believe it when I see him like this but in his other form he looks fully grown." Drizzt eyed the kitten wearily wondering how large he would be once he was done growing. "Alright so he cant carry us how good is your balance?" Kagome looked at him a question in her eyes and Drizzt pointed back into the trees. Kagome just laughed and ran back into the densely packed trees grabbing a branch above her head and swinging onto it in one smooth motion. She may not have had a good sense of balance when she was younger but all that training with Sesshoumaru certainly taught her that.

They came out of the trees a short time later and continued on down the mountain until they came to a stream where Drizzt explained they would fallow and hopefully make a clean break into the wilds. As they traveled Drizzt taught Kagomes more of his language and they began trading stories of the worlds they came from. All the while Drizzt kept up his miss direction tactics but still his pursuers kept true to their trail.

After awhile of this dogged pursuit Drizzt started to look back in curiosity. He had done nothing to deserve it and he knew Kagome couldn't have after all he was the first person she had ever met in this world. He had spent so many years alone that he had a deep longing to make contact with more people. Kagome noticing his distraction with the people behind them and thinking it was fear she thought of a plan to make him forget it if only for a little while. When they stopped for the day she put her plan into action.

"Drizzt would you teach me the silent code you talked about?" He was a bit taken aback by the question for a second the code was very intricate and time consuming to learn, but Kagome was very smart and he had already noticed her thirst for knowledge so it made sense that she would wish to learn it and it would help them if they were ever in a situation where they couldn't speak. So he agreed to teach her and her plan worked for awhile but inevitably his curiosity came back and finally he couldn't hold it back anymore.

Kagome sighed as she looked down at the figures surrounding the campfire. When Drizzt had told her what he wanted to do she hadn't protested much after all she was curios to but she also knew that it could lead them both into trouble. As she listened to words she didn't understand she thought of her friends and how they used to banter with each other and she laughed quietly to herself. She missed them and she knew they missed her but they all had moved on with their lives and she had found a good companion in Drizzt. So she could look back on her memories of them with fondness and none of the pain she would have felt had she been alone.

Drizzt listened to the group and felt a longing to show himself to them but that longing was tempered by two things. The first being Roddy and his dog, he knew those two would never pause to listen to his explanations. The second was Kagomes, he could never put her in the situation where she would be attacked just for being with him.

The group had set two guards a tall human and an elf. They had easily snuck passed the human his eyes were not made to see in the dark after all but against all caution he snuck around to the other side of the camp where the elf was stationed.

He had only once encountered a surface elf and that had been a disaster. His party had killed all of the gathering except one small girl who he had managed to hide. So now he felt a need to see a living breathing elf to some how drive out the sounds of the others screams.

Kagome fallowed Drizzt toward the elf knowing it wasn't really a good idea but keeping silent mainly because she didn't want to give their position away. She almost groaned aloud when Drizzt threw his small dagger cutting the elf's bowstring. That really wasn't a good idea.

Kellindil spun quickly when he felt the dagger cutting his bowstring and looked into two pairs of eyes one lavender and one electric blue. Drizzt had his arms crossed over his chest and underdark signal of peace. Kagome made to fallow his example until the elf pulled out his sword. Quicker than they could blink she had her bow out with an arrow trained at the elf's sword arm. She didn't want to kill him if she could help it but she would if he threatened her friend.

Kellindil looked at the female when he heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled taut. He blanched when he realized this was most likely the female that had killed the barghest. He cautiously lowered his sword then blinked when the woman smiled at him and lowered her bow as well.

"can we talk now? No more threats yes?" Kellindil nodded slowly knowing that the drow language wasn't her first made him feel a bit better about trusting her but he was still ready for the first sign of aggression from the drow.

"I can speak the common tongue if you prefer."

"don't understand speak again?" Kellindil raised and eyebrow in surprise that she didn't seem to understand the human language.

"You are human right?" She laughed and nodded her head "than why is it you do not understand the common tongue?"

"Not from here don't speak that at home." Drizzt looked back and forth between the two not quite ready to speak himself but enjoying the presence of another being.

"and were is your home? Certainly not the underdark"

"no I from Japan. A land surrounded by big water."

"you mean an island?"

"yes island." Kagome beamed at him in joy at learning a new word opened her mouth to thank him then closed it with a little frown and a blush. She didn't know his name. She immediately stood up and bowed

"My name Kagome his name Drizzt." She gave another bow and Kellindil blinked not sure what the bowing was for as he told the pair his name. Kagome smiled at him again and sat back down "forget manners not good"

"Why do you travel with the drow?"

"what drow?" Kagome tilted her head to the side not quite sure what her meant and Drizzt cleared his throat.

"I'm a drow Kagome." She blinked and nodded her head unsure why they seemed to think it was a bad thing

"why not he a friend." she stated this as if that explained everything and for her it did but Kellindil didn't seem to understand.

"How can you trust that he won't turn on you?"

"turn on?" She wasn't sure what he meant by that so turned to Drizzt to explain it to her and he did so with some reluctance he didn't want Kagome to look at him with fear or suspicion in her eyes. "Why do you think he would?"

"he is drow."

"Drizzt is Drizzt drow not make bad or good choice make so. He never turn on me he friend." She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed a bit she opened her mouth but what she had been about to say was forgotten when she heard the menacing growl of a dog from behind her. All three of them jumped up. Kagome and Drizzt ready to run Kellindil ready to stop Roddy and his dog from attaching them. Before either Roddy or his dog could even think to attack the pair they vanished into the night and Kellindil not wanting to get into the argument he knew would happen between them about the drow walked away. Besides he had some thinking to do about said drow and his pretty little companion.

"They will lose their advantage with the dawn" Dove said hopefully. After Roddy had alerted them to the drows presence they had spent several fruitless hours trying to catch up to him.

"Wouldn't have no advantage if the elf had kilt him when he had the chance!" Kellindil merely shrugged after all Roddy's opinion meant nothing to him and he had already explained himself to the rest of the group. They understood his reasons and it made them do some thinking as well. None of them really thought that he had really killed the thistledowns despite Roddy's insistence that he had.

Just as Roddy was about to go off some more a large rock came sailing into the group clipping Darda in the shoulder with enough force to send him spinning into the air to land face first in the dirt.

Dove grabbed Fret and rolled behind a boulder near by while Roddy and Gabriel did the same and more rocks thundered into the valley.

Kagome sighed as she watched the group try to stay clear of the rocks thrown by the giants. She didn't know if she should help them or not the elf hadn't been to friendly when they had met but then again he hadn't attacked them either. She bit her lip in indecision her hand fingering the fletching of one of her arrows. It was when she saw the dwarf get thrown from his shelter that she made her decision. As far as she had seen the dwarf wasn't a fighter and she had always made it a point to protect non-fighters and so she aimed for the giant closest to her and let her arrow fly. The arrow streaked across the sky the power surrounding it making it look something akin to a blue comet. It landed in the giants throat turning it to dust and sending his head rolling from his body. This of course brought the attention of the other giants on her and by default Drizzt.

She had already taken out another two by the time the others rallied together and started to chuck rocks at her. She shot off another arrow killing a third just as a rock came sailing by her face missing her by an inch. Drizzt was not so lucky he had been standing just enough to the side for it to come crashing into him crushing the bones in his right side and puncturing his lung. Kagome ran to him and dropped to her knees beside his head. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and jammed it into the ground putting up a small but strong barrier.

"It's times like this that I wish I was better at healing. Okay you can do this Kagome it's no different than healing miner injuries right…?" Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself and placing her hands on either side of Drizzt's head began to heal him. When the worst of his injuries had been seen to she pulled away breathing heavily. She could feel the drain on her powers and she knew she wouldn't be able to kill the rest of the giants even if she was done healing Drizzt. She took a quick look around her and noticed two things. The first the giants where moving to flank the people in the valley, the second not to far away from her was a steep slope with a lot of loose rocks and some rather large boulders.

Kagome nodded to herself and grabbed the statue that housed Guenhwyvar "please don't be angry at me for this Drizzt". She put the onyx figurine on the ground and called the cats name silently praying that that was all Drizzt had to do to call the cat to him. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the cat stood before her. "Okay Kuro see the loose rocks over there I want you and Guenhwyvar to set them rolling down the slope with any luck it should kill most of the giants on this side can you do that for me?" In answer Kuro roared into his larger form and ran straight into a large boulder knocking it down the slope and following it down knocking more loose as he went with Guenhwyvar not to far behind him. She smiled said a quick prayer that it would work then turned back to Drizzt to finish healing him.

When the avalanche was done only one giant had escaped. Guenhwyvar ran after it while Kuro ran back to Kagome when he got there he found Kagome passed out laying across Drizzt's chest. He sat down next to them and stood guard nothing would happen to his mistress while he was there he had been chosen as her companion after all.

After the battle with the giants was over Kellindil stood near the body of the first giant felled by the blue arrow. Not to far away from him he could see the drow and his companion with two large cats standing guard over them.

"The others are back with Darda" Dove said as she came up behind him "and McGristle is chasing…" Kellindil didn't answer he just nodded over to the four. "Let them go they were never our enemies."

"Yes but I fear to let the drow go free."

"As do I but I fear the consequences of McGristle finding him more. I do not think he would be above hurting the girl should she seek to protect him."

"We will return to Maldobar and rid ourselves of that one. Then you can return to Sundabar for your appointment I have kin in these mountains. We will watch our friends here to see that they cause no trouble."

"Agreed." She turned and walked away and Kellindil made to fallow but paused and looked back. He produced a flask from his pack and taking a step closer showed it to the two cats before placing it down in front of them then almost as an after thought he took a second item and dropped it next to the flask. Satisfied he then turned and fallowed dove down the mountain.

Dove and the others were all packed by the time Roddy returned from his wild chase and when they explained to him that they had no intention of chasing the drow any longer he was quite vocal in his objection. It wasn't until Dove let it be known that the villagers would no longer pay him to hunt the drow once they learned that he did not kill the Thistledown's that he agreed to turn back with them

Drizzt woke up to something pining him down and when he looked he saw that Kagome's head was nestled in the crook of his neck with her arm flung across his chest. Guenhwyvar and Kuro sat on either side of them. He called Kagome's name and gently shook her awake. She groaned a bit and mumbled something in her language so he called her again. This time she blinked open her eyes and smiled at him sleepily before sitting up.

"you feel good? No hurt right?" He nodded and sat up come to think of it he should be hurt the last thing he remembered before waking up was blinding pain.

"You healed me? Thank you" She nodded and smiled then she frowned a bit and handed him the figurine to summon Guenhwyvar.

"I needed help so called her not mad?"

"Of course not I trust you not to abuse her." She smiled and laughed as she stood and walked toward the arrow pulling it from the ground and releasing the barrier that, until that moment, Drizzt had not known was there. As she did so she noticed a silver flask and the dagger Drizzt had used to sever the elf's bowstring.

"Drizzt Kellindil left this." Kagome uncapped the flask and sniffed it. It smelled quite pleasant so she took a sip and handed it to Drizzt along with the dagger. She smiled as she felt the energy she had lost in the difficult healing come rushing back "where do we go now?"

"further into the mountains I suppose." Kagome nodded and calling Kuro to her she set out with Drizzt into the mountains.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

"_Japanese"_

"_**Drow sign language"**_

"…" a sign Kagome made that she messed up

"Drow language"

Eventually Kagome and Drizzt came to a steep gorge with a wide river cutting through it. Kagome looked around the enchanting place and nodded her head. She could see several caves dotting the rocky cliff face and the river would provide plenty of fish and she had gathered quite a few seeds from the surrounding foliage as they were traveling. All in all this place was a perfect sanctuary to weather out the winter. She knew it was coming soon she just wished she knew how long the winters were here or whether or not they got snow. She couldn't ask Drizzt he was as new to this place as she was. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair a habit she had picked up from Sesshoumaru. When she turned back to Drizzt he was rubbing his belly and contemplating one of the several pools that the fish lived in.

Kagome smiled and put her hand on Drizzt's shoulder. "You find cave deep no wind Kuro and I fish yes?" Drizzt looked down at her and nodded walking off to find them a shelter. Kagome smiled as she pictured all the times she and Rin used to fish together while she was under Sesshoumaru's service. _"Kuro I miss them Sesshoumaru, Rin, I even miss Jaken. I knew I'd never see Rin again but I always thought…"_ She smiled sadly as she pet Kuro who had jumped onto her shoulder to nuzzle her cheek. _"Don't mind me I'm just feeling sorry for myself" _she shook her head and clapped her hands together as if closing a book. _"That chapter in my life is firmly closed. No more feeling sorry for myself. After all I never really belonged in the feudal era I always knew the well wouldn't let me stay there." _ She nodded sharply once then set to work catching enough fish to feed two people and a demon cat.

"Kagome are you done fishing? Come on I'll show you the cave. Is there a reason we needed a deep one?" He took the fish she handed him and waited for her to pick up the bundle of sticks laying at her feet.

"Yes it get cold need fire to not die. Too much wind make hard to build fire." Drizzt nodded and watched as she set up the twigs in the middle of the cave he had chosen. She quickly had the fire going and she turned to him with a smile and took the fish he was still holding onto. It never ceased to amaze him how accepting she was of him. She was never afraid of him had even become angry when Kellindil had told her she should be. She would never know just how deeply her angry defense of him had affected him he himself didn't even understand the full depth of it. But he did know that her words left a warmth in his chest that seemed to grow a little bit with every smile she directed his way.

As if knowing where his thoughts had taken him Kagome looked up and smiled at him. "Teach more silent talk now? We teach Kuro too he not say but he understand."

"Alright tell Kuro to hide."

"_**You … **_no not right show again? _okay_ _**You hide" **_she laughed and made the sign again several more times to cement them in her mind before moving on to the next set. She did that for every sign he taught her while Kuro sat watching the lesson intently. After the lesson Kagome spent the rest of the night telling Drizzt some of the funnier pranks Shippou had pulled.

They went to bed at dawn and Kagome needing only two hours of sleep a night woke up way before Drizzt. She had learned quickly that while she didn't need as much sleep as she had when she was completely human she needed to eat ten times the amount to function properly.

"_Kuro wanna come with me to get breakfast? I say we get deer sound good to you? We'll get a couple and bring one back to store for winter. We'll have to go hunting every day until the snow hits. Otherwise we'll have to live on fish all winter and while you might not mind I know I will." _Kagome and Kuro spent the morning hunting and when they got back she set about drying the meat _"hey Kuro would you mind heating up one of the pools so I can take a bath? I could really go for a hot bath right about now." _ Kuro mewed and hopped on her shoulder so she could take him to the pool she had chosen. _"this one doesn't have any fish in it so it should be okay to heat up." _She stood back and watched as Kuro changed into his larger form and spat fire at the pool _"you know that will definitely come in handy this winter. I don't know what I'd do without you Kuro. You're absolutely wonderful." _she kissed his forehead then hopped into the water with a blissful sigh.

After her bath she went back to the cave and sat outside soaking up the sunshine while she waited for Drizzt to wake up so she could practice more of the drow sign language. She sat with her back to a boulder and looked up at the sky her thoughts turning toward Drizzt. She admired him. He had grown up in a place that held morals opposite of his own. A place where people would turn against their own brother if it would help them advance. But he had come out of it whole his morals uncompromised. She looked up as she heard Drizzt approach. "watch sunset with me?" Drizzt nodded and sat down next to her to watch the beautiful array of colors as the sun sank below the horizon.

The next several days were spent much like the first with only the nighttime routine changing sometimes they would stay in the cave and sometimes they would light a fire outside so Kagome could watch the stars. She found herself even more fascinated by them. Back home she knew the name and story of every constellation. But here everything was new. Since she didn't know any of the constellations she and Drizzt had taken to pointing out shapes the could see in the stars, something she used to do with clouds but she was finding out was just as fun with stars. Tonight Kagome and Drizzt were outside sitting side by side before the fire Guenhwyvar at their backs and Kuro in Kagomes lap.

"That one like Kuro and Guen hunting." Drizzt looked thoughtfully at the cluster of stars she had pointed to and nodded. It did kind of look like them if he squinted. He looked back down at her and smiled she was fascinating and indefinable and he found himself more amazed by Kagome with each passing day. She had an innocent joy in life her face an open book displaying every emotion she felt, and yet he had seen her eyes go cold and hard as she fought for what she thought was right. He knew she took no joy in killing and yet was proud of her ability to do so. She had saved his life, healed his injuries, had powers he had never seen before, she didn't hate him for what he was, and had never once been scared of him. Drizzt reached down a hand and rubbed Kuro's head gently. The kitten opened one eye and mewed at him before burring his nose deeper into his twin tales.

Kagome looked at the two a content smile on her face. She loved it here the air was pure like the feudal era of japan but she didn't have to worry about trying to keep up with a second life. Sure she missed her family but at least they had said goodbye to each other. She had had no idea about how the final battle would go or if the well would let her through without the jewel so everyone had thought it best to say goodbye before she had jumped into the well for the last time. She smiled again and looked back up at the sky and noticed out of the corner of her eye an owl about to take flight. She noticed unfortunately for Drizzt he did not.

Drizzt rushed to his feet his scimitar and dagger in his hands. He chuckled when he realized that the bird was no threat and looked at Kagome who was going red in the face in an effort not to laugh at her friend. She lost it when she saw the twinkle in his eyes she burst out laughing arms around her waist and Drizzt fell to the ground at her side threw an arm around her shoulders and let out his own laugh.

The owl was friend to a ranger named Montolio and had been sent to watch the two in the valley especially the drow. He had watched them for a while and now would report whet he had seen to the ranger who understood the animal tongue. He sat upon a wood and rope bridge connecting three trees and rang the bell placed there so he could call Montolio. He waited a moment then rang it again.

"Patients Hooter let a blind man move at the pace that suits him best." If it could the owl would have smirked as it rang the bell a third time.

Montolio was a wiry with a large gray mustache wild gray hair and white sightless eyes. He stood straight and tall with one hand crimped up so that it looked like the claw of a bird.

Anyone who happened to be watching him nimbly pick his way across the somewhat treacherous bridge would never know that he was blind. Unless of course they knew him, and even then they wouldn't describe him as blind merely stating that his eyes no longer saw. Then they would go on to say that he didn't need his eyes to see. The skills he had spent many years developing as well as the help of his animal friends helped him "see" more than those with fully functioning eyes ever could.

He held out his arm for Hooter who hopped onto it, his claws digging lightly into Montolio heavy leather sleeve.

"you have seen them then?" Hooter responded with a whoo then a series of complicated whoos and chattering hoots while Montolio took it all in. He had asked his animal friends to watch the drow and his female companion for several days wondering why a dark elf had wandered into the valley. At first he had thought the drow was connected Graul the orc chief of the region and the woman was his captured slave, but as time passed he began to suspect differently.

The woman showed no signs of being a slave captured or otherwise, and neither she nor the drow had made any contacted with Graul which was good he was powerful enough without the help of the dark elves. What he couldn't figure out was why the orc's hadn't tried to contact the drow. It was possible they hadn't seen him he hadn't exactly advertised his presence he only went out after sunset. More than likely though they had seen but hadn't worked up the courage to make contact.

Either way the whole thing was providing a welcome distraction as he set up his house for winter. He didn't fear the drow didn't fear much of anything, and if the two companions and the orc's weren't allies then the resulting fight might be well worth watching.

"By my leave, go and catch some mice!" Hooter immediately swooped off with a fierce hunting shriek. "just take care not to eat any of the mice I have watching the valley!" He shook his head as the owl gave another shriek before disappearing and as he descended he vowed that he would soon strap on his sword and find out what this particular dark elf was doing in the region.

He had made many such vows.

Kagome looked up at the sky and smiled as the first of the winters snowflakes fell all about her while beside her Drizzt looked on in wonder. She laughed and grabbed his hand pulling him with her as she danced in the snow. She had always loved winter but thanks to the feudal era she also had a healthy respect for the deadliness of it. She had seen far too many people die do to winters chill and hunger brought on by too little food, but she knew they were well stocked and the cave was insulated and warm so she had no worries that they would survive.

Drizzt let go of her hand and watched as she danced and laughed. He had never seen anyone express themselves so freely and he found that he enjoyed watching her do so.

"You dance to?" he shook his head with a smile

"I do not know how" she shrugged and took his hand again

"I show no one here to see no worry" he slowly nodded and she pulled him into a simple dance with a laugh. He stumbled many times but Kagome never criticized him she just smiled and showed him the steps again, and slowly he forgot his nervousness and let himself relax and enjoy the dance.

"see it's fun when you no worry." He laughed and nodded and Kagome looked up at the sky again. The snow had stopped and a few stars were peeking out of the clouds. She laughed and fell lightly to the ground her hands stacked behind her head. Drizzt sat down next to her one arm resting on his bent knee.

"we not able to do this much soon." Drizzt nodded sadly. She had explained to him about winter as best she could substituting words in her own language when she had none from his own. He didn't fully understand yet but he did understand that they couldn't be outside to often anymore or they could die. After a while Kagome stood up and brushed her pants off.

"we should go inside no want to catch cold." Drizzt nodded and fallowed her in. he had no desire to catch a cold whatever that was.

It was a few days later that Kagome woke up to see that it was snowing. She squealed excitedly and ran outside to catch the snowflakes on her tongue. Her cry woke Drizzt and he jumped to his feet scimitars in his hands to see Kagome outside spinning in circles with her mouth open. "Kagome what are you doing?" She giggled and pointed to the sky

"Look Drizzt snow." He nodded and held out his hand to catch the white flakes and watched them melt on his warm hand.

"So this is snow not at all what I imagined when you said frozen water falling from the sky." She giggled again and pulled him farther from the cave teaching him to catch the flakes on his tongue. A few dances and a snowball fight later and they were both soaking wet and cold but happy.

"let's go in now and get warm" Drizzt glanced at the sky one more time then nodded getting warm did sound good.

The winter was long and Drizzt was sure that if he hadn't had Kagome to reassure him that it would end he would have despaired long ago. She seemed to really like the winter she was always outside when he woke up. She had made several snow men and snow angels, and she had once talked him into helping her build a fort. Then she had set about making a family for the fort consisting of a man a woman and a boy but when they were done she burst into tears and ran into the cave. Drizzt fallowed her in unsure what to do but finally he put his arm around her shoulders and let her cry. She threw her arm around his neck and sobbed into his chest.

"sorry I miss them never got to say good bye." She sighed then gave a watery smile "I'm fine now thank you." Drizzt nodded and gave her a small hug before letting her go. After that she went outside less often and seamed to become more sad then one day he saw her talking to the snowmen inside the fort telling them goodbye than she came out and nocked the fort down, after that she was back to her usual self. It was a few weeks after that that the cold seamed to break and Kagome told him that winter was over.


End file.
